Where The Heart Longs To Be
by ronko45
Summary: Chihiro has nothing left for her in the human world so she goes to the only other place she can... Suckish summary, I know.


This is a little experiment for emotions and details and what-not so I decided to try it on a HakuxChihiro story (since I wanted to write one for a while.) So don't forget to review please!

Disclaimer: I do not own the greatest movie ever… Spirited Away

Where The Heart Longs To Be

-X-

Chihiro looked back inside of the house, taking in the darkness and the sense of dread that seemed to fill the large abode. The window's curtains were drawn, darkening the room even more as she took in the last of the structure. The couches were covered with a white sheet, and so were all the loveseats and drawers. Any sign of her or her parents living in the house had long since been gone; there were no pictures or portraits, or anything that signified them. Chihiro closed the door, stepping out into the hot summer weather.

Chihiro walked down the walkway, and went towards her car that stood at the end of it. Upon walking, she noticed the rose bushes that both she and her mother and her had grown together. They started the project the very next day they moved to the new house. Her mom had remembered that Chihiro had loved the bouquet that she was given as a farewell gift, that she, in an effort to make Chihiro feel better, started to grow roses. The bushes had long since withered away into nothingness, mostly because Chihiro had stopped caring for them. How could she? After they served their purpose, she could no longer continue to grow them. It was something for her mother and her, and when her parents had died, she felt no need to prune, water, or feed the beautiful flowers. Silently crying to herself, Chihiro made it to the car, and with one look back at the now abandoned house, she left for the only place she knew she would never be alone.

When the road had gotten rough, Chihiro knew that the turn that she had made was the correct one. She trekked through the thick thicket that was the trees, following the barely noticeable car tracks in the ground as she made her way up the path. She looked about her as she drove slowly, taking in the beautiful scenery. There was supposed to be a statue behind some of the trees if she was in fact going the right way, but that was to be determined. Surely it was covered, camouflaged in the same color moss as the rest of the trees that thrived around it. Pressing the gas pedal lightly, Chihiro made her way to the entrance, stopping her car when she saw a statue staring out at her.

The feelings that surfaced as Chihiro walked into the dark tunnel could not be put into words. She felt like she belonged there; after her parents had died, she couldn't help but to feel empty, like there was something out there that was missing. She would not think of this place again until after a few days of dark loneliness. She was tired of the constant cold and sleepless nights, lying awake, wondering if there was anything left for her in this world. As she lay sleeping that night, she dreamed a beautiful dream.

There was a vast blue ocean, and she saw herself, looking out from a high balcony. As the dream continued on, she felt herself step onto the banister. Her eyes grew wide, and her heart was beating faster, harder, but it wasn't from fear, it was from anticipation. She took a slow step, looking down into the deep blue water below her. After taking a deep breath, Chihiro closed her eyes and jumped. The wind cascaded off of her skin, skimming her, cooling her body. The air whipped her hair and her clothes about her. Her eyes had still been closed, and she knew at any moment, that she would hit the water. The saltiness of the sea was tasted in the air right above it … any second now, and she would be swimming in that cool looking water, free from all of her problems. She fell onto something, Chihiro realized, after she had not felt any splash of liquid on her body.

The thing that she had fallen onto, or more likely, the thing that caught her, was soft. It felt as it had a plume of soft fur tracing a line on where she had fallen. She had also felt something between the likes of fur or feathers or even scales; she may have been out of it. "Chihiro… Chihiro." She listened intently, trying to pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from, but moreover, whose voice it was. It sounded so familiar to her… She woke up soon after, before she could know who had saved her from jumping into the ocean, and before she knew who had called out to her. When she sat up in her bed, an old memory replayed itself in her head. She decided, that night, that she would go back there, to the bath house she left so long ago, to the bath house she had forgotten about all those years.

Chihiro walked through the old train station, and made her way over to the door that opened up to vast grassland. Salty air hit Chihiro's senses, and the vision of her flying through the sky hit her immediately. There certainly was no water on the dry grass, that was certain, but as the wind blew around her, prodding her even further into the grassland, she couldn't help but think that this path that she was now on was once filled with water.

After slipping and sliding on the dry gravel, Chihiro finally made it to some steps. Already, like the first time she was here, she smelt the delicious aroma of restaurants' foods. Smoke poured from the booths, and fire exploded from the grills. She didn't have a happy memory here. This was where her mom and dad were transformed into pigs for greedily grubbing on some food that was set outside for the incoming customers.

She trekked on, all the way to the bridge that led to the bath house. This was her destination. The sun had already dipped down into the horizon, and she saw the blue sky replaced with darkness. Lanterns were immediately lit, creating an unearthly glow around her. She saw the spirits appearing before her now. She was supposed to be hiding she knew, but she wanted to be found. She knew, if anything, he would be there to greet her, just like when she was younger.

A few spirits passed by the human, and they immediately turned around after getting a whiff of her scent. They were drooling, she saw, and walking closer to her. She didn't move from her spot. She wasn't the same scaredy-cat she was back then; she could handle herself here now, she was sure. Before the spirits came closer to her though, she saw them stop in their spots, neither of them moving closer to her. Their eyes looked confused, and when Chihiro moved from in front of them, to see what had saved her, she couldn't help but to have a smile on her face.

Chihiro walked onto the bridge, holding her breath, and grinning at the nostalgia that met her as she crossed. Her eyes locked onto the man that was at the end, never once leaving his eyes. He had changed little, she noticed. His hair was still in the same style, but his face had gotten sharper, stronger, and his eyes keener. The end of the bridge was approaching fast and Chihiro, as soon as she hit it, ran to the man, releasing the held breath. She grabbed him, hugging him tightly, tears already making their way down to her chin. "Chihiro…" he said, and the voice of her dreams played in her head. She looked up at him.

"Haku…" she said softly, hugging him even tighter.

Haku looked at her again, pushing her off of him gently as he got a good look at her for the first time. Her brown hair had grown longer, still in the same ponytail she usually had on. Her frame had become slender, and she taller. The look in her eyes had not changed at all; it still housed the innocent and playful nature of the woman. He smiled inwardly and noticed the biggest change of all.

He stepped up to her and brought his hands in the air. She mirrored his actions, bringing her hand to his. Her hand glided through the air until finally, as it approached his hands, it went through. Her hand had become intangible, and she smiled solemnly. She turned her eyes to meet his, knowing he'd say something.

"Please, I want this."

"But you'll become a spirit, and never be able to go back home." He said calmly.

"Haku," she said, trying to cup his cheek. "I have nothing in the human world for me, and to be honest, the only reason I stayed behind was because of my parents. Now that they are dead, I can truly be here, where my heart longs to be." He said nothing, and the hand that held the medicine that would stop her from becoming a spirit had long since been put back into his pocket. He knew what her answer was going to be before he asked it, but he asked anyways.

"So you are sure about this? You want to become a spirit?"

"Yes Haku." She smiled at him, as he accepted what she had wanted to do. Her body grew even more ethereal, the human part of her disappearing fully.

Haku watched as finally the woman fully became a spirit. The other spirits that were standing around, almost daring her to make a wrong moved looked around in confusion as the scent of the human dissipated into thin air. Haku knew that the decision she just made was one that could never be changed. He had already given her a second chance, hoping that she would want to live out the rest of her life to its fullest _alive_; even though he had wanted he longed for her, he had saved her in her dream despite that, yet she still chose to become a spirit. Chihiro looked at the man in his eyes, taking his hands into hers, and smiling up at him; he was looking sad.

"Haku…" she said, closing her eyes, and hugging him again, reassuring him that all would be alright.

Haku did not reply to the woman but merely hugged her back tightly, as if he never wanted to let her go. She was now a spirit, and she was free to work at the bath house with no danger of losing herself, but more importantly, they were together again, now and forever.

-X-

A/N: Man, another ending that is questionable. What did you guys think of this? I hope I captured the emotions, (the beginning, I think, but the ending I think I lost touch…) After getting her to the bridge I think was the most problematic part of the story, so if you readers have any suggestions, or critiques, send them my way. Thanks for reading!


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